My Body is A Temple

I had the most profound experience last week.
I was sitting at the temple waiting to witness a friend's wedding.
In rolled an elderly woman sitting in her wheelchair.
Her body had disintegrated.
All that was left was skin on bones.

The week before I had attended a funeral of a good friend.
He was normally a big jolly fellow, not fat, but tall and built.
Cancer had stole his life too soon,
and left his wife and three daughters weeping.
The final pictures of him were skinny.
The funeral weighed heavily on my mind this day,
as I was also simultaneously overjoyed for our dear friend
starting his life with his new wife.

I was contemplative,
and seeing this sweet little old lady,
effected me to the core.
My heart ached for her to be healthier.
I wished I could have seen her at her prime.
I wanted her to have a little meat on her bones,
so she could get up and walk without fear.


And it dawned on me.
All at once.
I live in a pervasively sick society.
And I am not talking about cancer or heart disease.
I am talking about attitudes.

I am talking about my own attitude.
When my sister and her hubby just visited from California,
I couldn't question them enough about their eating habits.
They are both the epitome of looking good.
and I wanted to know their tricks to the skinny life.

The answer:
For breakfast we eat a piece of toast.
For lunch a half a sandwich,
but for dinner we eat whatever we want.

Whatever your little teeny tummy's can handle,
which I am sure ain't much.

For a moment I wondered if I could jump on board the regiment.

But why?
Why would I want to deprive my body of nourishment?
So I can be skinny?
I will tell you why it's tempting.
Because everyone else is doing it.
Why is everyone else doing it?
Because they want to look good.
Period.

Who defines what looks good?
We do.
Our advertising does.
Our pop culture.
Our movies.
Our admiration in others.
Our minds.

At church on Sunday,
we discussed the idea that our bodies are temples.
Our teacher did a really great job.
One concept was especially meaningful to me.
We are the house for the Lord.
Our bodies are the literal house.
We can live in such a way that the Lord will be with us.

And I am here to tell you,
that the Lord doesn't use body size
to determine with whom he dwells,
but he uses the size of the heart,
and the purity of the mind.

We are doing God a great disservice
when the worshiping of "skinny" or "rock hard abs"
becomes a greater priority over Him
and who we really are.

I recently attended my 20 year class reunion.
There were the bombshell gals.
There were the ones who have gained
a pound or two or 100.
And there were ones in between.

But, each individual carried their own spirit.
I could sense into their heart.
I could tell which ones were healthy.
Which ones were happy.
Content with their life.
And loving of others.

And I am here to tell you that
when our time comes,
those are the things that will matter.

We have created such a sick society
that obesity is an even bigger problem then
anorexia or bulimia.
Our society is sick as a whole.
Why?
Because our ideals are sick.
People are sick
at both ends of the spectrum,
instead of being safe in the middle,
where all they are worried about is their personal best.

Yes, our bodies are temples.
And yes, some of us have some learning to do
in the maintenance department.
So, you don't need to tell me
to lessen my caloric intake
or get my butt in my tennis shoes
more regularly.

But, I will tell you this.
When you see an emaciated woman
of 80 or 90 years old
and realize that the society around you
has all their young people trying to look the same as her,
you may be forever changed too.

What are you doing with your temple?